The vegetable patch doesn’t have to be bare while you wait for the warmer weather for planting crops like French beans, tomatoes and courgettes - catch crops will fill in the gaps.

The idea is that you will be able to harvest them before planting tender crops. Good catch crops include radish, spring onion, spinach, oriental greens and lettuce.

Sow them in short rows and they should be ready before the later crops are planted out in May. If you have room, leave space for the later crops and you can continue to harvest the catch crops while they settle in.